Mike13

I think your research led you to the right place. I’d try the Bluesound Node2i. You can compare an external DAC to the internal DAC but don’t be surprised if you can’t hear much difference. The BlueOS app is awesome. I don’t think the headphone amp itself would be great, but I’m looking to get another one for exactly that purpose.

Agree with that. For me the clarity is better on 6XX. They’re open so less of a competition than the Elear. @MTsoul good call on the stax. I’ve never got around to trying any but they have a great reputation.

hi @MTsoul. I upgraded from the sennheiser 6xx to the focal clear professional from A2A for $1200 a couple of months ago. B stock, but i can see anything that would make them B stock. Professional Clear are exactly the same as Clear but they are red (look better than the grey IMO), and switch the balance cord for an extra pair of ear cushions. Great price. Both Clear and 6XX can be driven by my A&K player, though the clear is easier to drive and sounds great with just my iPhone. Is the Clear $900 better than the 6XX. No way. Value for money and entry point, buy the 6XX. 80-90% of the sound quality IMO. The Clear sounds ‘clearer’. The 6XX are a tight fit but you can carefully bend them out. Focal are more comfortable but heavy by comparison - build quality far superior. I tried the Elear which had awesome pricing. It’s maybe better than the 6XX and for $600 it could be a decent option. Also easy to drive. Again, Clear just sounded cleaner and clearer. The closed Elegia for $500 were okay, but I thought the 6XX sounded better. I wasn’t a fan of LCD X, 2 or 3, besides looks. The other headphones couldn’t compete with the Focal pricing. If you like more bass and a warmer sound signature, you might prefer LCD. Open sound better than closed. Over ear sound better than IEMs. The headphone itself makes far more difference than the amp or DAC.

Don’t worry, it’ll be back soon 😆. I wonder about bass in a double garage. It’s a big space, which will be a reason you thought you lost some from the other room. Suggest getting a 10” sub or two and integrating them. (Later you might need more soft furnishing and carpet, maybe bass traps, maybe room correction). Next I’d suggest a streamer and a Spotify or Roon subscription. That buys you a lot more music than vinyl and an easy way to find new music. Blue sound node 2 (without the ‘i’) will be about $500 on here. Second hand equipment is better value if you don’t need the latest and greatest. The loss on resale is far less.

On hold

Item: Audio GD NF5B headphone DAC and amp Location: Melbourne Price: $190 plus postage Item Condition: Very good Reason for selling: NLR Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Great value amp. I don’t have the power cord for this so you will need one. Photos

Item: Intona USB 2.0 High Speed Isolator Location: Melbourne Price: $125 plus postage Item Condition: Good Reason for selling: NLR Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: https://www.avhub.com.au/news/hi-fi/intona-usb-20-hi-speed-isolator-442445 https://pro.intona.eu/en/products/7054 https://www.amazon.com/Hi-Speed-Isolator-Standard-Version-1-000VRMS/dp/B01N8129OU/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=intona&qid=1566454164&s=gateway&sr=8-3 Photos:

Item: Isotek Optimum 1.5m, US plug Location: Melbourne Price: $200 Item Condition: Very good Reason for selling: NLR Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: Bought this a year ago from here for $270. I’ve got less equipment now so I don’t need it anymore. Photos:

Bugger. It didn’t introduce any noise that I can remember.

Item: UMIK-1 mic Location: Melbourne Price: $90 plus postage Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Using DEQX Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: I bought this new in 2018 to go with a mini-DSP that is also up for sale. These two items provided good room correction and improved the bass. Photos:

Item: miniDSP 2x4 HD Location: Melbourne Price: $160 Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: NLR Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Only Extra Info: These will fix your bass and sort your subs out. Too much bass is terrible, so is too little. Bought two years ago and sat at back of cupboard. Photos:

Item: Sony WH-1000XM2 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones - Black Location: Melbourne Price: $150 plus postage Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Not used Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Extra Info: If you want noise cancelling, these are a good choice. Much better than Bose. I’ve heard the newer version and couldn’t hear a difference. I took them on one overseas trip and the noise cancelling is excellent. I prefer my IEMs for travel because they fit in my pocket so these never got much use. They do fold up nicely though. Photos:

Item: Oppo pm3 and ha2se headphone amp Location: Melbourne Price: $330 plus postage, PayPal fees Item Condition: Excellent Reason for selling: Enough headphones Payment Method: Pickup - Cash, Paypal, COD Extra Info: See previous ad from December. I had buyers for both but they fell through. Still $369 at Minidisc for the headphones and $499 at Jaben for the amp. Note a cord is missing from the amp (see original ad). Photos:

Bill’s cords are awesome value. A lot of people use them around here.

It’s like iTunes but with better functionality, album art and artist info, and a better user interface. You can upscale with it and use it for room correction. It is the only way to play Tidal for some network players, like the SMS200. It makes your digital music collection look good. If you don’t have a digital collection it is probably it worth it. https://roonlabs.com